Disclaimer:The title "Nightmare", as well as its storyline, is owned by the author.All Tekkaman Blade characters are the property of Tatsunoko.Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission due to version control. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read Nightmare on FanFiction dot net. Much thanks...

Tekkaman Blade III: Nightmare(First Saga)

Prologue

"You will make it, koishii (beloved)," he whispered gently in her ear. Feeling her strong grasp on his hand, he looked down at his wife lying on the hospital bed. The woman that he loved began to breathe heavily while saline tears ran down the sides of her face. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, and desperation flared through her eyes.

"Takaya," she let out a sharp whisper as her heart continued to race. "Now… now it's coming…"

"Aki," he said softly, looking deeply into her eyes and smiling. "It will be alright."

"Careful," the doctor said, holding her hands out at the base of the bed. "I want you to push hard now. It will be over in a matter of minutes."

Aki screamed while the pain shot through her person. Takaya continued to stand by her side, giving her all the moral support she needed. The nurses standing by smiled at woman on the bed, for she was about to become something she had never been in her life. After what seemed like endless pain, the young woman gave a final push, collapsing on her backside after it was over. Tears streamed down her eyes, and Takaya couldn't hold in his joy any longer. It had begun to cry.

"It's a boy," the obstetrician smiled, holding the newborn in her hands. "A beautiful boy."

"Our first son," Aki whispered, lifting her arms to accept the infant. "Our first child."

"Chief's become a mother! It's a boy!" she said excitedly, checking the message on her phone.

"Wow! Just amazing, isn't it?" came the response. Hayato focused on the road as he sped the jeep towards the Command Center. He could not believe how quickly the months had passed; they had all been so surprised to learn of Aki's pregnancy then, partly because she did not seem to be the motherly type. Yet, they had all felt happy for her, except for David, of course. However, that did not stop him from attending the baby shower his friends had thrown for their Chief.

"Absolutely," smiled Yumi, sitting in the passenger's seat next to her boyfriend, who had confessed his feelings to her courageously several months prior. "We knew it would happen, but we never expected it to happen today."

"Why do you say that?" questioned the young pilot as he pressed harder on the gas pedal. Yumi and he had just finished running an errand in a neighboring city when they had received the urgent call from Natasha, saying that Aki was going into labor. They had jumped into their car and began racing back to base. Hayato looked over to the blond girl, who continued to stare at the green hills in the distance.

"So I guess I have no chance with her, do I?" the young blond man whimpered.

"I'd say your odds are better dating me," came the mocking response.

"That bad, huh?" sighed David, shaking his head and contorting his lips. He slowly sipped his drink as he shifted his position in his seat, furrowing his brow at his friend sitting across the table from him.

"Did I ever say they'd be bad?" shrugged the effeminate Dead, the only person with whom David had confided his love for Aki. He had known for a long time now – in fact, he had known even when he was an enemy to the Space Knights. Over one full year had passed since that time…

"Yeah, yeah, stop. Today's not the best day to be messing with me, okay?" David muttered.

Dead took a small bite out of his meal and nodded at the dejected man.

"You know," Dead said, "I think you should move on, especially now."

"I know I should," David sighed. "Good sense tells me I should, but it's so hard."

"All you need to do is find a girl who won't throw herself at you. Then you'll fall in love with her because you can't have her, and the Red Tekkaman will be history," chuckled Dead, taking another bite.

A thin smile spread across the blonde's lips as he sipped some more from his drink.

Several Hours Later…

"So beautiful," whispered Aki as she held the newborn in her arms. Sitting up in her hospital bed, she brought its sleeping face close to hers and gently kissed it on its forehead. The baby's mouth twitched slightly, and Takaya smiled as he brought his face right next to that of his wife. The two parents looked happily at the child that breathed softly as it slept soundly in its mother's hands.

"He looks like you," observed Aki, looking between the two males. "More like you than me."

"Of course. He is the youngest Aiba now," joked Takaya, who caressed the baby's cheek with his finger. It was truly their child; it was truly an Aiba baby. Ever since Takaya's first and near-fatal battle with Dead End, he realized something of vital importance – he needed to start his own family. He needed to continue the Aiba family line in the event that he was to perish in battle. Yet, it was not his decision alone; Aki had wanted to have a child as well. She had wanted a child that represented the ever-lasting love between her and the savior of Earth, and there it lay in her arms, resting in the grace of its mother.

"And the youngest Kisaragi," she replied, gently nudging D-boy in the ribs. After a slight pause, she continued, "Happy birthday, my love. I haven't forgotten about it."

"Oh, thanks," he smiled, kissing her softly on the lips. "I'd even forgotten with this baby…"

"This baby, huh?" Aki turned her eyes towards the sleeping infant. "I think it would be better if we gave it a name, don't you think so?"

"You're too funny," she replied, chuckling at his cynical sense of humor. "I'm being serious."

"Do you have any ideas?" D-boy asked, anxious to hear her suggestions.

"I want to hear yours first," she replied, causing him to take in a deep breath.

"I have one, but you may not like it," he started, taking in a breath. Aki said nothing, waiting patiently for him to continue. "If today is my birthday, then it's… it's also his…"

"You want to name our son…" Aki flinched, not expecting it at all, "… after your brother?"

"I'm sorry," Takaya whispered, exhaling. He realized that he must have ruined the mood by mentioning his deceased twin. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. If you don't like that name, then we can think of—"

D-boy only nodded softly, and Aki closed her eyes as she delved into deep thought.

"I accept," she spoke, surprising Takaya. "His name will be Aiba Shinya."

Chapter 1 – Desperate Cries

Seven months later…

'My son grows up so fast,' thought D-boy as he relaxed in his chair. Isolated in his large, secret office, the man responsible for maintaining Earth's freedom rubbed his aching forehead as he brooded about the lack of sleep from the previous night. It had been his turn to take care of the baby's nightly wails, and last night's call to duty was far from trivial.

'Who would have ever thought that a Tekkaman would change diapers?' he sighed to himself as he removed the sunglasses from his face. The white fluorescent glow from the lights above caused him to narrow his eyes, and he shut them for several peaceful moments. Takaya began to lose himself in his very thoughts – he never had imagined how the stress of raising an infant could take its toll on his health.

'I guess it's part of being a father,' he smiled to himself, remembering his child's adorable, chubby face. 'My son… My very own flesh and…'

"… Blood," a voice whispered in D-boy's mind. The man opened his eyes. Did he just imagine that? No, he had certainly heard someone speaking to him, but he wasn't able to make out the location of its source. He soon heard a soft chuckle, and he tightened his jaw. He could feel his heart beating faster.

"What is this?" D-boy called to the air around him anxiously. "Who are you?"

Takaya narrowed his eyes as he heard the chortling sound fade. Feeling its presence leave his mind, the startled man could think of nothing else but to contact his beloved wife.

"Space Knight Chief Kisaragi," said the officer over the video screen. "This is Lieutenant Titov speaking on behalf of the East Asia Military Command. We have received an urgent SOS from the Jupiter Vaking Units that only you can appropriately address."

"Greetings, Lieutenant," Aki responded as she sat in the seat of the Space Knight Command Center's control room. Although it was her seventh month into motherhood, she could not relieve herself of her duty as the Space Knight's Chief. It was their only child, but Takaya and she had no other choice but to leave the baby with a hired nanny, who took care of the boy rather well during the daytime.

"We have opened a secure channel for you to transmit, Lieutenant," continued Aki.

"Transmission commencing," replied the officer, nodding and clearing his throat.

"This is… General Hitero of the Colony Military of Io," the recorded voice said in desperation. "We are being… overrun by the aliens… there are too many of them… all Sol-Tekkaman units have been destroyed. The buggers are destroying everything… Please send help… immediate help… Tekkamen…"

With those words, the transmission ended, only to be followed by continuous static.

Aki took in a deep breath, feeling her blood pressure rising.

"The Jupiter Navy had relayed Io's message to us," explained the officer. "They too engaged in the battle but had to retreat upon suffering drastic losses. All military vessels in the sector are either too damaged to fight or are out of commission."

"The transmission said that there were Tekkamen?"

"That is correct, Chief Kisaragi, which is why we must request the assistance of the Space Knights. The military knows that your team is capable of handling them."

"How long ago did you receive this transmission?" she questioned, breathing nervously.

"Within the past two hours, and it took time for us to decide to relay it to you," he replied, noticing the woman's pause. "We will re-establish contact with you in one hour. We await your response."

With that, the officer's image disappeared from the view screen, leaving behind a disturbed Aki. The other communications officers in the large room remained quiet, waiting for their leader to give them further orders. The young mother placed her palm on her desk and formed a fist. It was their first encounter with the enemy a long time, but nothing had been as severe as this. Io had been overrun.

"Aki," a voice whispered through a video panel on her desk. The Chief diverted her eyes down towards her husband, and she swallowed hard upon seeing his face. The outline of his emerald crystal glowed brightly atop his forehead.

"Hurry!" David yelled to Natasha as he ran by her chambers. The short-tempered girl grunted in annoyance and suited up quickly while her blond teammate waited for her. In a matter of seconds, she burst out of her room, and the two of them raced towards the debriefing room. Red lights from the alarm were flashing, and the piercing noise from the siren bore into their ears as they ran through the hallways.

"First attack in a long time," commented Natahsa, continued her speed. "Wonder what it is."

"I don't think we'll be kept in the dark for very long," answered David, panting as he reached the doors of the debriefing room. Natasha and David sighed in relief, for they were not the last ones to arrive. Hayato and Yumi rushed in from another doorway as Dead strolled in seconds later, and all of the Space Knights lined up at full attention. In front of them stood their chief, looking sterner than they had ever seen previously. Even more eerie was the absolutely silent D-boy, who sat quietly at the table behind Aki.

"Space Knights," the Chief started, trying to keep her voice calm. "This may be our most critical mission yet. It will require the powers from each one of you, and the truth is that it will be dangerous."

None of them could make their typical responses, for they saw the pale color of Aki's face.

"Radam has made a full scale assault on the colonies of Io, a moon of the planet Jupiter," she explained. "Casualties are reportedly severe, and the enemy was formidable. From the information gathered thus far, the people of the colony are still under attack."

"Just like how our planet was invaded over ten years ago," commented David.

"Even worse," replied Aki, shaking her head, "because they don't have a Tekkaman Blade like we did. They are defenseless, and we must help. You have three hours from now to gather your belongings."

"Wait, you don't mean—" started Natasha.

"Yes, we do," cut in D-boy, removing his sunglasses. "We are going to Io."

In the Orbital Ring, within one of the hangar bays of the nearest spaceport, a large vessel rested.

'Just a few more touches, and everything should be set,' thought the elderly, portly gentleman as he observed his engineering team make the final polishes on the new spacecraft. It was his baby, a vessel that would be large enough to fly through the unforgiving depths of space while possessing a cargo bay spacious enough to store fighter craft. More specifically, it had the capacity to house the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma jet planes piloted by Hayato, Goliate, and Anita, respectively. The ship's construction had been a year in the making, and Honda had overseen the entire process.

'To be going to such a distant place so suddenly,' thought the Japanese mechanic, having received the news an hour ago. 'My team has been working so diligently. Now D-boy can leave as soon as possible.'

"Honda, how long until the Argos is ready?" asked Aki through the transmitter.

"She's all yours, Chief," he replied, nodding. "Take care of her, will you?"

Far, far away, millions of miles into space, a dark ship hovered silently, overlooking the small moon of Jupiter that had just been conquered. Inside, a row of glass panels lined the observation deck, allowing the figure standing behind them to marvel at the sight. At that distance, it was not possible to tell that anything had gone wrong below. The cloaked figure smiled thinly, knowing the truth was otherwise.

"How did it feel, burning your home Io to the ground?" the figure asked in her feminine voice.

Behind her, another figure knelt several feet away. This one – a tall, dark haired man – glanced towards her with his scarlet irises before staring out the window. The moon below was easy to seize. Any military resistance had been crushed all too swiftly, almost as if it was child's play. He curled his fingers into a fist. He knew the decimation of Io was not an end in itself, but rather was a means to another end.

The man narrowed his eyes. The damage had been done, and the plan was set in motion now.

"Your Highness, there is no turning back," he responded, rising to his feet.

"Very good, Raze, I'm glad you agree," she smiled. "I will be expecting great things from you."

"I understand," he nodded slowly. "There is so much more to be done. So much…"

"Yes, and I promise you the stench of brutal battle," she responded, "in due time."

That night, in the Orbital Ring Spaceport…

"Take care of yourself, David," Dead said, sticking out his hand. The blond man reached out and shook it firmly, giving his good friend a confident look. In the past few months, Dead had toned down his older, feminine style, which he had sported due to his misery and sense of loss from Prague. His lips and fingernails had reduced their amount of make-up, and his dress had become increasingly masculine.

"Of course I will," came the reply. "But you make sure you take care of things while we're gone."

"Yeah, yeah, getting left behind to guard the base is really motivating," snorted Dead. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of things while you're there. Don't forget to write."

"I'll send you a postcard," laughed David, gripping the large duffel bag strapped on his shoulder. Winking at the joke, he turned around and walked up the ramp to the vessel, almost bumping into Aki as she stepped out from the craft. Apologizing to his Chief with his face flushed, the young man continued his way into the ship, pausing and waving to his friend before disappearing within. Dead's attention was soon diverted as he heard Honda conversing with his new Chief.

"Shinya is in Milly's care," Aki instructed Honda, who nodded. "If anything is to happen to us…"

"I'll make sure that everything is alright," the elderly man replied. "Your baby is safe with her."

"It has always been my pleasure, Aki," the man smiled. Aki nodded and headed back towards the ship, giving one look at Dead as she passed by. The two exchanged a brief nod before she stepped into the Argos II. Inside were Yumi, Natasha, David, Anita, Goliate, and Hayato, strapped into their seats at the piloting consoles at the front. At the center sat Aki, and by her side rested D-boy.

The time for their departure had arrived, and the spaceport bay doors slid open.

"Argos, launch," Aki gave the command. From behind an observation panel, Honda watched in fascination as the engines of the craft hummed with life. The aft boosters of the vessel illuminated slightly, propelling the ship as it rolled down the hanger bay. Within seconds, the Argos cleared the bay doors and left the confines of the Orbital Ring. Its rear boosters then fired up with an orange glow.

"Good luck," Honda whispered as the Argos II took off for the heavens.

"No matter how many times we see it," Hayato started, "the view is still magnificent."

"I hope I never grow tired of it," chimed Yumi as she absorbed the vastness of the planet below. She turned her head; the other young Space Knights were softly chatting amongst themselves. Aki and D-boy had remained relatively silent, and it was not until several minutes later that they spoke.

"As you could have guessed, this will be quite a long journey," stated Aki. "Our estimated time of arrival at the moon colony of Io is four weeks."

"Get used to the idea," the Chief replied brusquely. The stress due to the mission, along with her deep concern for her child, had thinned her patience tremendously. She was in no mood to conduct normal conversation with her crew, and her tolerance for any unsolicited remarks had virtually zeroed.

"I'm sorry!" whispered Yumi, relieved to see the expression on the elder lady's face soften.

"With all due respect, Chief," started David, attracting everybody's attention. "By the time we get there, won't it be too late? What would be accomplished by arriving so late?"

"We will do what we can when we get there," D-boy thoughtfully replied. "If we do nothing, the consequences may be far worse. We can at least destroy any Radam plants that may be growing there."

"Until we reach Io, you will take turns in the hibernation chambers," instructed Aki, glancing at each of her Space Knights. "The time will pass by rather quickly that way; I promise you."

The young warriors slumped their shoulders as the ship headed through the vacuum of space.

Several evenings later, on Earth…

Dead enjoyed the air as he strolled calmly through the crowded city streets. On one hand, he was the only one left behind; on the other, there was nobody around to command him directly. For the time being, he was free to do what he willed without question. Yet, he knew that he would use proper judgment in his actions, and now, his judgment told him that a brisk walk through the city streets would do no harm. What was wrong in taking a little break now and then?

Several attractive women walked his way, but the young man paid no attention and let them pass. Dead dug his hands in his pockets and turned the corner. He began to develop a slight itch on his forehead, and he raised his hand to scratch. A few minutes later, he heard a small commotion coming from behind.

Suddenly, someone knocked into him and sent him to the concrete.

"What!" Dead yelled, only to freeze. It was a young woman, her figure slender and her black hair long. She paused, turning around to glance at him, and he noticed the blood running from her forehead. The lady soon raised her eyes, almost to look into the crowd behind Dead, and panic spread across her face.

"Hey!" called Dead, seeing her lurch forward and brush by more people. He got up and dusted off his pants. 'Hmm, I guess she's being pursued by someone not quite so friendly? Or maybe she's just a nut.'

"Whatever," he muttered, only to frown. Something was off. He reached around to feel his back.

"What the…" he said, realizing that his dagger was not tucked into his pant. He was sure he had it with him before leaving the Command Center. He looked in the direction of the girl and widened his eyes.

"Damn her!" he spat. Dead stepped forward and began to push his way through the crowd. He continued to pursue her, trying to keep up. Yet, the closer he got, the faster she seemed to be moving away. Dead realized that whoever was chasing her must have been gaining ground.

'Aren't I putting myself in danger by following her like this? But she has my crystal!' he thought as a strange sensation began to creep into his mind. The young lady soon broke free from the crowd and began to run, and the Space Knight did the same. Pedestrians looked on in wonder and annoyance at the two young individuals making haste. Dead could feel himself huffing; the girl was certainly going fast.

It wasn't long before she turned towards a small bridge nearby. She slowed down and stopped, bending down to rest her hands on her knees and catch her breath. Dead caught up to her within seconds.

Having heard his footsteps, she turned her head to glance at him…

"NO!" the girl screamed as she looked at Dead with terrified eyes, and she raised his dagger.

"Whoa, hold on! That's mine!" Dead protested, pointing at it before noticing her ashen face. The feeling that was gnawing at the young man earlier turned into a full-fledged chill as the purple outline of his crystal burned on his itching forehead. His heart then skipped a beat as an orange outline appeared on hers.

"Are you a…" he started, only to cut himself short. She tried to escape, but he reached out and grabbed her, wrestling his dagger from her grasp. "Tell me, who are you? And who's after you?"

"You have to get away… get away now…" her voice sounded even more agitated. "Please…"

"Hold yourself together!" ordered Dead, boring into her eyes. "And make some sense!"

"No…" the girl said, tears streaming down her eyes. "They've come for me…"

"Gangsters? Police? Damn it, who?" Dead blurted in frustration, only to witness a laser bolt enter the side of her body and exit through her back. Pedestrians walking by screamed and ran as the girl collapsed to the ground. Dead cursed under his breath, trying to cover the bleeding wound, and he turned his head to locate the source of the attack. Nobody suspicious was in sight.

"Who the hell are you, lady…?" he whispered, soon yelling for people to get help.

The outline of the girl's crystal continued to burn on her forehead as she screamed in pain.

"You…" the girl choked as she stared at the purple outline on his forehead. "Tekkaman…"

"Damn, I can't just leave her here," Dead mumbled aloud. "I guess I should take her back."

"Like hell you will," came a scornful response. Before Dead could turn around, something hard hit his head, and the young Space Knight fell forward onto the ground, ready to slip into unconsciousness as his eyes shut desperately from the pain.

'I'm as good as dead like this,' Dead thought desperately as he grit his teeth. 'I have to get up!'

"Tekkaman Tyara, I will make sure you won't cause us any more trouble," said the mysterious voice. It seemed almost childish, yet full of spite. Dead cursed to himself as the young woman next to him pleaded for mercy, but it was to no avail. Dead tried to reach her, but he felt his arm being kicked away.

"Don't interfere!" scolded the attacker, returning its attention to the girl. "How sad…"